Overview

This programme aims to train business professionals from different functions to use various kinds of advanced analytical methods to address management insight needs

Decision making is an important management activity and spans across functions from marketing, human resource to customer service. Good decisions lead to positive marketplace outcomes and poor decisions, in today’s competitive environment may lead to irreversible damage. To ensure good decisions are made, management relies on the support provided by analytical professionals who understand their information needs and are able to transform data into insights to aid decision making. Often, managers in various functional areas who are already familiar with their operational context make good analysts when they equip themselves with analytical competency.

To become an analytical professional, an executive needs to be trained to use various kinds of advanced analytical methods to address different management insight needs. This 5-day Certified Analytical Professional (Advanced Level) programme aims to produce this breed of professionals who are competent in addressing organisational needs for better insights.

Competency levels may be classified as foundation level, which allows the practitioner to undertake most descriptive data analyses, and advanced level, which allows for analyses that yield predictive and prescriptive insights. Insights of the latter forms are the most useful and can translate into the greatest competitive advantage for companies.

Programme Objectives

The programme objectives are several-fold:

To raise the competency level of professionals to an advanced level so that they are able to leverage on an array of analytical techniques and tools to obtain insights that support their organisation’s decision making function.

To have a strong grounding of data, data types and the various classes of analysis.

To understand data quality and data sources that impact the quality of insights obtained.

To provide participants with the ability to undertake various types of multivariate analysis that includes regression modelling, choice modelling and structural equation modelling.

To imbue in participants with the ability to think analytically so that they are able to conceptualise organisational challenges and goals in the form of analytical models to be examined.

Topics/Structure

Programme Outline

The application of advanced level analytics in various functional contexts

– Categorisation of analytics – Analytics as a solution to organisational challenges – Case studies in the application of analytics

Development of advanced level analytical competencies and the use of three analytical softwares (SPSS, WarpPLS and PERMAP). The software chosen for this programme complement each other and allows the analyst to provide useful insights for management. The scope of analyses covered in this programme includes, but are not limited to the following:

Framing of organisational challenges into analytical problems (development of analytical thinking). This development will be in the form of presentations by the instructor, discussion of cases and reflection by participants on analytical applications.

Who Should Attend

The programme is designed for business executives, particularly those who are involved in analysing, interpreting or using data for their companies. Managers and executives in various functional groups e.g. marketing and customer service who seek to push the use of data beyond typical boundaries are strongly encouraged to attend the programme. They should already have a foundation in quantitative analysis. For instance, taken statistics and quantitative research modules (e.g. Marketing Research) during undergraduate degree studies. They should already be familiar with basic statistical concepts (will not be discussed during the workshop) before attending the advanced level programme.

Participants who had attended and successfully completed the Personal Leadership & Business Success Series: Management Efficacy programme offered by SMU Academy would be deemed to have met the entry requirements for this advanced level programme. Please note that the programme facilitator will not be addressing basic statistical concepts in this programme.

Assessment

The programme is intensive and assessment-based. Participants have to meet a minimum attendance rate of 75% and are required to undergo an individual assessment at the end of the programme. The individual assessment will include a written component that assesses analytical thinking and a practical component that assesses analytical competency. Only upon meeting the minimum attendance rate and passing of the assessment, will participants be issued the Certified Analytical Professional Certificate.

Participants who failed the assessment will be given a chance for re-assessment at a re-assessment fee of SGD481.50 (incl. 7% GST). Each participant is allowed up to 2 re-assessments. The first re-assessment has to be taken within 1 month following the last attempt and will be held on a weekday specified by SMU Academy.

Participants who meet the minimum attendance rate but do not achieve a pass for the assessment will be issued a Certificate of Participation.

software used during the programmes (installed in SMU's computer systems)

1 assessment per person for the programme.

Re-assessment fee at SGD481.50 (incl. 7% GST) per attempt, up to a maximum of 2 re-assessments per person.

The first re-assessment has to be taken within 2 weeks after the notification of result. The first re-assessment will be held on a weekday specified by SMU Academy and conducted from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

SkillsFuture Credit

Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above, and self-funding may use their SkillsFuture Credit (up to SGD500) to defray part of the course fee. With effect from 19 May 2017, SkillsFuture Credit claim will only be paid directly to the training provider from SkillsFuture Singapore. Claim should be submitted via the Training Exchange (click here) and SMU Academy has to be informed on the Claim ID no. and claim amount in order for the correct payable course fee amount to be reflected on the invoice. Please click here for the User Guide on how to claim for SkillsFuture Credit.

IMPORTANT For the Certified HR Analytical Professional programme, please search for course code CRS-N-0044318 for your SkillsFuture Credit claim submission.

Absentee Payroll

Companies who sponsor their employees for the programme are eligible to apply for absentee payroll via the SkillsConnect system. For more information, please visit SkillsConnect.

Enhanced Training Support for SMEs

SMEs must meet all of the following criteria:

Organisation must be registered or incorporated in Singapore

At least 30% local shareholding by Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents

Employment size of not more than 200 (at group level) or with annual sales turnover (at group level) of not more than SGD100 million

Trainees must be hired in accordance with the Employment Act and fully sponsored by their employers for the course

Trainees must be Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents

Union Training Assistance Programme (UTAP)

All NTUC union members and self-funding are eligible for UTAP funding (up to SGD250 per annum). Please click here for more information on UTAP and application.

Schedule

Start Date(s)

25 Feb 2019 (Mon)

Intake Information

Intake 1

25 February to 1 March 2019 (9.00am – 5.00pm)

Open for Registration

Speaker/Trainer Bio

Raymond is a thought-leader in the field of customer and human capital analytics. He is sought after as a speaker by international conference organisers in these specialised fields. He regularly contributes to the Singapore Business Review in the area of customer and HR analytics.

He is the Chief Executive of Blue-dge Analytics and Consulting, a company formed by a team of high calibre research and advisory staff to offer consultancy and advanced research services to clients. In 2005, London Weekly Telegraph regarded it as the “best-in-class, dynamic, exciting and shaking up the world of insights”. Other publications such as the Singapore Business Review had regarded his company as the ‘gem of top companies’. In 2009, Dr. Teo received the Spirit of Enterprise award in Singapore. He had leveraged on his expertise in the field of data analytics and expanded his consultation to include both customer analytics and HR analytics, with the latter being an important focus for his company now.

Raymond obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Western Australia, MBA degree from the University of Strathclyde and Bachelor degree from the National University of Singapore. He is also an adjunct faculty of SMU, offering insights and analytics related programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Additional Details

SkillsFuture Skills Framework

This programme is approved under the SkillsFuture Generic Skills and Competencies (GSC):

Computational Thinking (Advanced)

Sense Making (Advanced)

Certified Professional Business Manager (CPBM)

The Certified Analytical Professional programme is part of the Professionals Management Toolkit (PMT) Series. Participants who successfully complete 6 programmes offered by SMUA-HCML within 5 years will receive the Certified Professional Business Manager (CPBM). For example: